In the diagram, the rectangle has a width $w$, a length of $8$, and a perimeter of $24$. What is the ratio of its width to its length? [asy]
pair a = (0, 0); pair b = (8, 0); pair c = (8, 4); pair d = (0, 4);
draw(a--b--c--d--cycle);
label("$w$", midpoint(a--d), W); label("$8$", midpoint(c--d), N);
[/asy] Write your answer in the form $x:y$, where $x$ and $y$ are relatively prime positive integers.
Explanation: Since the rectangle has width $w$, length 8, and perimeter 24, then $2w+2(8)=24$ or $2w+16=24$ or $2w=8$ or $w=4$. Therefore, the ratio of the width to the length is $4 : 8 = \boxed{1 : 2}$.